Rocking Chair
Gebrüder Thonet, company design
Austrian, established 1853
c. 1860
A Thonet rocking chair made of steam‑bent beech wood and woven cane, designed to achieve a lightweight, comfortable seat through continuous flowing curves that could be produced efficiently in a workshop.
What strikes you first are the ribbonlike, whirling bentwood scrolls that make the chair seem both airy and resilient while the fine cane back and seat offer a delicate, textured contrast.
This chair embodies the Thonet brothers' bentwood innovation that helped industrialize furniture production and introduced a new modern vocabulary of economy, mobility, and elegant curvature to everyday design.
Medium
Beech wood and cane
Dimensions
37 5/8 x 22 3/4 x 42 1/2" (95.6 x 57.8 x 107.9 cm), seat h. 17 1/4" (43.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Café Nicholson
Accession
459.1951
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
